Julian Assange (Henry Nicholls/Portal)
UK Court of Appeal judge Swift has decided to extradite Julian Assange, rejecting all the legal grounds he had put forward in his appeal to the UK Supreme Court. He justified his decision in a threepage letter largely devoted to complaints about the amount of material received. This extraordinary and blatantly unlawful ruling appears to be an attempt by the judges to do everything they can to prevent this court from being disqualified worldwide as an accomplice in one of the most horrific and blatant political persecutions of our time.
The admissibility criterion for the Supreme Court to consider a case is that it be of major public or constitutional importance. Assange was spied on by the CIA during his political asylum at a foreign embassy and his conversations with lawyers and doctors were cloned by the embassy’s security firm, an ongoing trial in Madrid reveals.
If this case is not a matter of public interest or a serious violation of fundamental rights, what is it?
With only one final step left for the UK courts, the defense has five working days to submit an appeal of just 20 pages to a panel of two judges, which will convene a public hearing. No further appeals are possible at the national level, but Assange can appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
What that means is clear: Julian Assange will be extradited to the United States at the end of July or in October, depending on the possibility. There is no reason to believe that the hearing is a mere ritual formality that would give the impression that a legal process was being followed.
The United Kingdom, which is experiencing an escalation towards the far right after Brexit, has as its main goal the withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights. The action in the European Court of Justice has no suspensive effect and there is no reason to believe that the British elites will treat Julian Assange fairly in the context of the systematic marginalization of international agreements.
“It is absurd that a single judge could make a tripartite decision that could land Julian Assange in prison for the rest of his life and profoundly change the climate of journalism around the world,” the journalist’s defense said. “The historical weight of what happens next cannot be overstated; It is time to end this unrelenting target for Assange and take action to protect journalism and press freedom. Our appeal to President Biden is now more urgent than ever: drop these charges, drop the case against Assange and allow for his release without further delay.”
Stella Assange, Julian’s wife, issued a statement on Twitter: “On Tuesday next week my husband Julian Assange will appeal again to the Supreme Court. The matter will then move to a public hearing before two new Supreme Court Justices and we remain optimistic that we will prevail and Julian will not be extradited to the United States where he will face charges that could see him do the rest of his life in a maximum security prison for publishing true information exposing war crimes committed by the US government.”
Opinion:
Next Tuesday my husband, Julian Assange, will file a new appeal for appeal to the Supreme Court. The matter will then move to a public hearing before two new Supreme Court Justices and we remain optimistic that we will prevail and Julian will not…
— Stella Assange #FreeAssangeNOW (@Stella_Assange) June 8, 2023
This is the latest step in more than three years of legal proceedings in UK courts as the US government has demanded Assange’s extradition to face him on 18 counts related to WikiLeaks’ release of hundreds of thousands of leaked confidential documents informing the public Court to make interest reports around the world. Although the lower court denied extradition on mental health grounds, the appeals court overturned the decision, taking into account diplomatic assurances from the US government. He faces a total sentence of possibly 175 years in prison.